Ex-Wife of 'Los Cuinis' Leader Pleads Guilty in U.S. to Sanctions Violation

Wendy Dalaithy Amaral Arévalo, ex-wife and current partner of a leader of the criminal organization "Los Cuinis," has pleaded guilty in U.S. court to deliberately violating anti-narcotics sanctions. She paid her son's tuition at a Florida preparatory school using drug trafficking proceeds.

The U.S. Department of Justice announced that Amaral pleaded guilty to violating the Kingpin Act, which prohibits transactions in the U.S. for individuals sanctioned for drug trafficking. Her son attended IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida. Amaral was sanctioned in 2015 by the U.S. Treasury for her involvement with "Los Cuinis," the financial arm of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG).

Her partner, Gerardo González Valencia, a leader of "Los Cuinis," was sentenced to life in prison in 2023 for drug trafficking conspiracy. Both were barred from conducting financial transactions in the United States. Amaral arranged for her son's enrollment at IMG Academy, paying $504,497.48 in tuition. She faces a maximum of 10 years in prison and a $10 million fine, with sentencing scheduled for December 2.

In February, the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) reached a $1.72 million settlement with IMG Academy for contracting with Amaral, a specially designated national linked to a sanctioned Mexican drug cartel, and for processing payments. The Justice Department stated that Amaral deliberately channeled over half a million dollars in illicit drug profits for tuition payments, despite being prohibited from U.S. financial transactions.

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Wendy Dalaithy Amaral Arévalo deliberately violated U.S. anti-narcotics sanctions by channeling more than half a million dollars in illicit drug profits as tuition payments to IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida, despite being prohibited from conducting transactions within the U.S. financial system.